5 Lessons I learnt from this crisis

As I spend a lot of time in my own space working, relaxing, eating, exercising, I also think and reflect on how this health crisis impact lives and make us rediscover the simplicity and inner peace of living.
In summary, there are 5 lessons that I have learnt.

1. Appreciation of Freedom & Peace
    
We take it for granted when we leave our homes and commute to work everyday, working in the office, going for lunch breaks and meetings. We walk, drive, take public transport. Dining in restaurants, coffee shops, drinking in cafes. All these daily routines have become a habit that we become accustomed to and have always taken it for granted. With this Circuit Breaker, it will make us realise that the freedom of movement for urban dwellers is a gift. And of course, to be able to breathe in the free air without wearing a mask is something to enjoy.

Working from home (WFH) allows us to rediscover the inner peace within ourselves, the peaceful neighbourhood, without having to deal with office politics and nasty bosses or colleagues physically. The empty streets and quiet coffee shops without diners portray the life of Singapore before 1990s when the city is much less crowded and peaceful when the population is less than 3m.

2. Stress test on investments

The plunging of the stock markets provides a comprehensive stress test on our investment portfolios. It stresses the ability of our chosen companies and Reits to sustain cashflow and earnings during bad times and gives us a wake up call on our blindless and greedy pursuit of yield and chasing higher than ever stock prices. In the coming weeks when the results of Q1 2020 are announced, we can witness the impact of how this health crisis and Circuit Breaker affect the ability of our beloved Reits in paying DPU and the tenacity of our invested companies to survive. It is important to realise that fundamentally sound investments and well-diversified portfolios can also be affected by systematic risk arising from a health crisis.

3. Importance of technology

Technology allows us to still be connected with other people in the world anytime, anywhere during times of lockdown and movement restriction. It is the best invention in mankind. With the closing down of borders, applications such as Google map still allow us to view the streets of other countries. Virtual reality applications allow us to view showflats of new properties and museum exhibits. Social media, game and video conferencing apps still allow people to stay connected in the virtual world. With advancement in online banking, money can still flow around through Paynow, Paylah and all sorts of payment modes. E-commerce has also evolved to cover online shopping of perishable items in supermarkets and ordering of food from restaurants. This health crisis has definitely highlight the importance of technology and business which leverage it to their advantage thrive during the Circuit Breaker but unfortunately, businesses that that are not adapting to technology suffer greatly.

4. Shortness and fragility of life

The Coronavirus is causing tens of thousands of people to die everyday in the world. More than 170k people have succumbed to this virus at the time of writing. Many of them, with families, children, great plans for retirement or career aspirations have to cut their lifespan short on this earth. From the famous quote of Seneca on the Shortness of Life,

We are spending alot of our time on useless activities, entertaining people we do not like and on social media that we do not realise that time is a scarce and limited resource. All of us beings have an expiry date. We need to realise the importance of living with meaning, duty and purpose. Actual living is to enjoy ourselves meaningfully in activities that will work towards important goals in our lives. It is time for every survivor of this crisis to wake up be grateful that we are still given the opportunity to enjoy all the great things on this earth.

5. Anything is possible in life

Things that are not possible in the past can become possible now during a Circuit Breaker caused by a Coronavirus. The pursuit of luxury items and branded stuff in boutique stores in Orchard Road has evolved to buying unglamourous toilet papers and instant noodles in Fairprice supermarket. The bustling CBD area in Shenton Way in Singapore downtown can become a ghost town as most companies allow staff to WFH. Many shops in malls and neighbourhoods are forced to close down by the government. The crowd watching waterfall and queues at Shake Shack in Jewel can suddenly disappear. Even Mcdonald can cease to operate for the first time in Singapore. What does not happen in the past does not mean will not happen in the future.


Thanks for reading! Stay home and be safe!

With Love & Peace,
Qiongster